Gunmen have abducted the principal of Government Secondary School, Olowa, one National Examinations Council ad hoc official and four students during an ongoing NECO examination in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, prompting a massive government security response.

The attack occurred on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at approximately 5:25 p.m. while candidates were seated for the examination. The Kogi State Police Command confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Wednesday.

Command spokesperson ASP Salisu Oyiza confirmed that security agencies mobilised immediately after the attack. "During the incident, four students, the school principal, and one NECO ad hoc staff member were abducted by the attackers. A combined team of the police and other security agencies immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is currently on the trail of the assailants. So far, one of the abducted students has been rescued, while efforts are ongoing to secure the safe rescue of the remaining victims and apprehend the perpetrators," she said.

The Kogi State Government subsequently announced a multi-agency operation to secure the release of the remaining victims. Commissioner for Information Kingsley Fanwo disclosed that Governor Ahmed Ododo directed all security agencies to deploy available resources toward the rescue.

"The Kogi State Government has mobilised a massive multi-agency security operation to secure the safe rescue of four persons abducted from Government Secondary School, Olowa, in Dekina Local Government Area during the ongoing National Examinations Council examinations," Fanwo said.

The operation is being coordinated by State Security Adviser Jerry Omodara and involves the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the Kogi State Vigilante Service, local hunters, and other security outfits. Fanwo confirmed that advanced technology was being deployed in support of the operation and that encouraging progress had been recorded, though operational details were withheld to avoid compromising the rescue effort.

The government identified the remaining victims as school principal Daniel Iyanaa, NECO official Solomon Audu and two female candidates, Miss Dorcas Sunday and Miss Dorcas.

Preliminary findings from the state government indicated that the examination centre, situated in a remote area, was being operated as a miracle centre for external candidates and did not conform to the state's security framework for the ongoing NECO examinations.

Authorities have maintained restrictions on motorcycle operations and night travel along certain roads, alongside intelligence led raids targeting suspected criminal networks. Kogi and Benue states also recently launched Operation Handshake Patrol, a joint policing initiative enabling operatives to pursue suspects across state boundaries, though Tuesday's attack occurred within days of its launch.